I closed out my bike focused May with the Forget Me Not bike ride. This was a last minute addition to my month, but I figured it’d be a fun way to get some long and low bike training in.
My longest bike ride previously had only been 66 miles, which was actually on the previous Monday, so I went in planning on taking it slow and looking for a group to work with to take advantage of some drafting. Apparently, this was not meant to be.
The event, held in Morrow, OH (NE of Cincinnati) had about 450 total participants spread throughout 4 possible ride distances. There was a family 10 mile ride on the rails to trails path, a 40 mile flatter route to the South, a 60 mile rolling hill route to the North, and the Century which was actually a combo of the 60 and 40 mile routes. It appeared that only 40 or so people registered to do the century, so my possible pack was limited.
I went out at the front of the group and monitored other riders’ tactics to scope out possible “teammates” for the day. I felt like we were going slow as a whole, but I didn’t want to be the fool to go off the front only to be passed by everyone later when I was suffering, so I waited for someone else to move forward. It wasn’t long before 3 guys moved off the front, but I didn’t go with them initially due to being stuck behind another rider. Since it wasn’t a race, I decided I could probably cross the gap so off I went. Unfortunately, I wasn’t making much progress and was just wasting energy. I decided to sit up and work with people behind instead.
Once I got caught, I worked with 2 guys on tri-bikes (I brought my roadie to not commit a faux-pas) along with another roadie. I sucked their wheels for a while until I started getting annoyed with myself for being a mooch. I moved to the front and found my legs had warmed up. I took a long pull, and before I knew it we were caught up with 2 of the 3 riders that went off the front initially. The third rider was never to be seen again. We rode along for the next 5 miles or so as a mini-peleton until we hit a substantial climb where the group was blown up. I tried to go with the front guys again and failed…again. This time though, I rode alone for a while since I apparently moved well ahead of the others on the climb.
The first aid station was at mile 20, but I had plenty of nutrition on board and was feeling good, so I moved on. As I passed, what did I see, but a triathlon in progress. So, out came the camera.
I was invigorated by the tri, so began taking some pictures of the state park for the next 10 miles or so. Once I left the park, I was passed by one of the tri-bikers. I worked with him a bit, then he went on ahead. I stopped at the 40 mile aid station and ate even though I wasn’t hungry to follow some advice I’d been given. It was also the 20 mile stop, so was crowded with more casual 60 mile riders. I left that aid station alone, sort of accepting that I’d be riding solo most likely anyways. The next 20 miles of the 60 mile route were pretty uneventful. I completed the first 60 miles in about 3:09 of riding time (19.1mph average). I still felt pretty strong, but took my time and ate plenty more before leaving for the final 40.
I actually did leave for the 40 loop with the tri-bikers, and was talking with them planning on using them for support as I headed to no man’s land. However, I dropped them on the first climb and one of them seemed like he was struggling, so I went it alone once again. I expected a stop at mile 70 (it was on the cue sheet), but it was not there. I think that frustrated me some, so I started focusing on my discomfort a bit. The 40 mile route as a whole was much flatter, but on roads in worse condition and exposed to the wind and heat, so not much easier. I got into a bit of a groove again, though until I hit the 80 mile aid station. They were well stocked with cookies, wraps, and water as well as an aspiring musician performing in the barn. I hung out there a few minutes, and wasn’t in a hurry to continue on. Finally I convinced myself there was just over an hour left, so I moved forward.
The next 9 miles were actually very smooth on good roads mostly with a tailwind. I enjoyed the progress I was making and stopped at the last aid station thinking I had it made with ease. However, soon after I left the last aid station, I hit rollers again…and cracked roads. Every little hill and bump made me grumpier at this point, but I slowly trudged along until finally I was on roads I recognized again. I cruised back to the school and the finish, crossed the finish line, put my bike away, and headed for food. As I was going through the line, someone noticed me and realized I might have been a century finisher. Haha, so much for fanfare…not that I would have cared at that point.
Overall, I completed the ride (sadly only 99.15 miles on my CPU) in 5:16 on the bike (18.8mph avg). It went much faster than I thought it would, and so did I pace-wise, particularly since I rode alone for at least 75 miles of the ride. Although I would have rather there been more riders, it was well staffed with volunteers and had plenty of good food and cookies. All in all, a good day of training.
This week upcoming is a recovery week as a whole as well as a half-week taper for my B race come Sunday. My next post sometime mid-week will layout the race plan.
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